13. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me,
14. or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth.
15. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
16. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
17. You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go.
18. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.
19. Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.' "
20. Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.
21. But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.
22. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt--on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt."
23. When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt;
24. hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.
25. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields--both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree.
26. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.
27. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.
28. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer."
29. Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's.
30. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God."
31. (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom.
32. The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)
33. Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
34. When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.
35. So Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the LORD had said through Moses.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Exodus 9 :1-12
1. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: "Let my people go, so that they may worship me."
2. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,
3. the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field--on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.
4. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' "
5. The LORD set a time and said, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land."
6. And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
7. Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
8. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh.
9. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."
10. So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.
11. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
12. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
2. If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back,
3. the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field--on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats.
4. But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.' "
5. The LORD set a time and said, "Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land."
6. And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died.
7. Pharaoh sent men to investigate and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.
8. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh.
9. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land."
10. So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on men and animals.
11. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians.
12. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Exodus 8:16-32
16. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,' and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats."
17. They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.
18. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals.
19. The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.
20. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
21. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are.
22. " 'But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
23. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.' "
24. And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.
25. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land."
26. But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us?
27. We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us."
28. Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me."
29. Moses answered, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only be sure that Pharaoh does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
30. Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31. and the LORD did what Moses asked: The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.
32. But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
17. They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.
18. But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals.
19. The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.
20. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
21. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are.
22. " 'But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land.
23. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will occur tomorrow.' "
24. And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh's palace and into the houses of his officials, and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.
25. Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land."
26. But Moses said, "That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the LORD our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us?
27. We must take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commands us."
28. Pharaoh said, "I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me."
29. Moses answered, "As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the LORD, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only be sure that Pharaoh does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
30. Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD,
31. and the LORD did what Moses asked: The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained.
32. But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Exodus 8:1-15
1. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.
2. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.
3. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.
4. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.' "
5. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' "
6. So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land.
7. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
9. Moses said to Pharaoh, "I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile."
10. "Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God.
11. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile."
12. After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.
13. And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields.
14. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.
15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
2. If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs.
3. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.
4. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.' "
5. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.' "
6. So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land.
7. But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.
8. Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD."
9. Moses said to Pharaoh, "I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile."
10. "Tomorrow," Pharaoh said. Moses replied, "It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the LORD our God.
11. The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile."
12. After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.
13. And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields.
14. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.
15. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Exodus 7:14-25
14. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go.
15. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.
16. Then say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened.
17. This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD : With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.
18. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.' "
19. The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt--over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs'-and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars."
20. Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.
21. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart.
24. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
25. Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.
15. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the water. Wait on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake.
16. Then say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert. But until now you have not listened.
17. This is what the LORD says: By this you will know that I am the LORD : With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood.
18. The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.' "
19. The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt--over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs'-and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars."
20. Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.
21. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.
22. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
23. Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart.
24. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.
25. Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Exodus 7:1-13
1. Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet.
2. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.
3. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt,
4. he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.
5. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it."
6. Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them.
7. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9. "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake."
10. So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
11. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:
12. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.
13. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
2. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country.
3. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt,
4. he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites.
5. And the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it."
6. Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them.
7. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.
8. The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
9. "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake."
10. So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake.
11. Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts:
12. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.
13. Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Exodus 6:13-30
13. Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
14. These were the heads of their families : The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16. These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
17. The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.
18. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
19. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20. Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
21. The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.
22. The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
23. Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24. The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25. Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26. It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions."
27. They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.
28. Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt,
29. he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you."
30. But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"
14. These were the heads of their families : The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16. These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
17. The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.
18. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.
19. The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20. Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.
21. The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.
22. The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
23. Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24. The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25. Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26. It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions."
27. They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.
28. Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt,
29. he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you."
30. But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Exodus 6:1-12
1. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."
2. God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.
3. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.
4. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6. "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
7. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9. Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
10. Then the LORD said to Moses,
11. "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country."
12. But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips ?"
2. God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD.
3. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.
4. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens.
5. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6. "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.
7. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
8. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9. Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
10. Then the LORD said to Moses,
11. "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country."
12. But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips ?"
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Exodus 5:1-23
1. Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.' "
2. Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."
3. Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword."
4. But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!"
5. Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working."
6. That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people:
7. "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
8. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9. Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."
10. Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw.
11. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.' "
12. So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
13. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw."
14. The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn't you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"
15. Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way?
16. Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."
17. Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are--lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'
18. Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."
19. The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."
20. When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,
21. and they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
22. Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me?
23. Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
2. Pharaoh said, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD and I will not let Israel go."
3. Then they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword."
4. But the king of Egypt said, "Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!"
5. Then Pharaoh said, "Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working."
6. That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and foremen in charge of the people:
7. "You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw.
8. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, 'Let us go and sacrifice to our God.'
9. Make the work harder for the men so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies."
10. Then the slave drivers and the foremen went out and said to the people, "This is what Pharaoh says: 'I will not give you any more straw.
11. Go and get your own straw wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced at all.' "
12. So the people scattered all over Egypt to gather stubble to use for straw.
13. The slave drivers kept pressing them, saying, "Complete the work required of you for each day, just as when you had straw."
14. The Israelite foremen appointed by Pharaoh's slave drivers were beaten and were asked, "Why didn't you meet your quota of bricks yesterday or today, as before?"
15. Then the Israelite foremen went and appealed to Pharaoh: "Why have you treated your servants this way?
16. Your servants are given no straw, yet we are told, 'Make bricks!' Your servants are being beaten, but the fault is with your own people."
17. Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are--lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.'
18. Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."
19. The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day."
20. When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them,
21. and they said, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."
22. Moses returned to the LORD and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me?
23. Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."
Monday, October 20, 2008
Exodus 4:18-31
18. Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive." Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."
19. Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
20. So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21. The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22. Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
23. and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24. At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} and was about to kill him.
25. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.
26. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27. The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28. Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29. Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
30. and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
31. and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
19. Now the LORD had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
20. So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21. The LORD said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22. Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son,
23. and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24. At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met {Moses} and was about to kill him.
25. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched {Moses'} feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.
26. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27. The LORD said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28. Then Moses told Aaron everything the LORD had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29. Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
30. and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
31. and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Exodus 4:1-17
1. Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"
2. Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
3. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
5. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."
6. Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8. Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.
9. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10. Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11. The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ?
12. Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13. But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14. Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
15. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
17. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
2. Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
3. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
5. "This," said the LORD, "is so that they may believe that the LORD, the God of their fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has appeared to you."
6. Then the LORD said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7. "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8. Then the LORD said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.
9. But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10. Moses said to the LORD, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11. The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD ?
12. Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13. But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14. Then the LORD's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
15. You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16. He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
17. But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Exodus 3:1-22
1. Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
3. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."
4. When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5. "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6. Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7. The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12. And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
13. Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14. God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15. God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16. "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18. "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'
19. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
20. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21. "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.
22. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
2. There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
3. So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight--why the bush does not burn up."
4. When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5. "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6. Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7. The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey--the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11. But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12. And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
13. Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14. God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15. God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16. "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob--appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17. And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites--a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18. "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the desert to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'
19. But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
20. So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21. "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.
22. Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Exodus 2:11-25
11. One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.
12. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
14. The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."
15. When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
16. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock.
17. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
18. When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?"
19. They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."
20. "And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat."
21. Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
22. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."
23. During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
24. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
25. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
12. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.
13. The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"
14. The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."
15. When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.
16. Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock.
17. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.
18. When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?"
19. They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."
20. "And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat."
21. Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.
22. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."
23. During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.
24. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
25. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Exodus 2:1-10
1. Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman,
2. and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
3. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it.
6. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
7. Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
8. "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.
9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
10. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
2. and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.
3. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
4. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5. Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it.
6. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.
7. Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"
8. "Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.
9. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.
10. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."
Monday, October 13, 2008
Exodus 1:1-22
1. These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family:
2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
3. Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
7. but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
8. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
9. "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.
10. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."
11. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
13. and worked them ruthlessly.
14. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.
15. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16. "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."
17. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
18. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"
19. The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."
20. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
21. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."
2. Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah;
3. Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin;
4. Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher.
5. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.
6. Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
7. but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.
8. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.
9. "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us.
10. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."
11. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
12. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites
13. and worked them ruthlessly.
14. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.
15. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16. "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."
17. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
18. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?"
19. The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."
20. So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
21. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.
22. Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."
Friday, October 10, 2008
Genesis 50:22-26
22. Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years
23. and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees.
24. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
25. And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."
26. So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
23. and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees.
24. Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
25. And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."
26. So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Genesis 50:15-21
15. When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?"
16. So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:
17. 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
19. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
20. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
21. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
16. So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died:
17. 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.
19. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God?
20. You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
21. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Genesis 50:1-14
1. Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him.
2. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,
3. taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,
5. 'My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.' "
6. Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."
7. So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him--the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt-
8. besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
9. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10. When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father.
11. When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.
12. So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them:
13. They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.
14. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
2. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him,
3. taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.
4. When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him,
5. 'My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.' "
6. Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do."
7. So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him--the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt-
8. besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen.
9. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.
10. When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father.
11. When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.
12. So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them:
13. They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.
14. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Genesis 49:1-33
1. Then Jacob called for his sons and said: "Gather around so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2. "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3. "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.
5. "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.
6. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
8. "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
9. You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
10. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
11. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
13. "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
14. "Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags.
15. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.
16. "Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
18. "I look for your deliverance, O LORD.
19. "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.
20. "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21. "Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22. "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.
23. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.
24. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25. because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.
26. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder."
28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
29. Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30. the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.
31. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.
32. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. "
33. When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
2. "Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel.
3. "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power.
4. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father's bed, onto my couch and defiled it.
5. "Simeon and Levi are brothers-- their swords are weapons of violence.
6. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
7. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.
8. "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
9. You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
10. The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
11. He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
12. His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk.
13. "Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.
14. "Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags.
15. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.
16. "Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17. Dan will be a serpent by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse's heels so that its rider tumbles backward.
18. "I look for your deliverance, O LORD.
19. "Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.
20. "Asher's food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
21. "Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.
22. "Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall.
23. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility.
24. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25. because of your father's God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the heavens above, blessings of the deep that lies below, blessings of the breast and womb.
26. Your father's blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
27. "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder."
28. All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.
29. Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30. the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field.
31. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah.
32. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites. "
33. When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Genesis 48:1-22
1. Some time later Joseph was told, "Your father is ill." So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.
2. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3. Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
4. and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.'
5. "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
7. As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem).
8. When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?"
9. "They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them."
10. Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11. Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too."
12. Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.
13. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him.
14. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
15. Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16. the Angel who has delivered me from all harm --may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth."
17. When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18. Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
19. But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations."
20. He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' " So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21. Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.
22. And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."
2. When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3. Jacob said to Joseph, "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me
4. and said to me, 'I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.'
5. "Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.
6. Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
7. As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath" (that is, Bethlehem).
8. When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?"
9. "They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them."
10. Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11. Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too."
12. Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.
13. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him.
14. But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.
15. Then he blessed Joseph and said, "May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16. the Angel who has delivered me from all harm --may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly upon the earth."
17. When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim's head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
18. Joseph said to him, "No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head."
19. But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations."
20. He blessed them that day and said, "In your name will Israel pronounce this blessing: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' " So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
21. Then Israel said to Joseph, "I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.
22. And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow."
Friday, October 3, 2008
Genesis 47:13-31
13. There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine.
14. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace.
15. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up."
16. "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone."
17. So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18. When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
19. Why should we perish before your eyes--we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."
20. So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's,
21. and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.
22. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23. Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground.
24. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children."
25. "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh."
26. So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt--still in force today--that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.
27. Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28. Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.
29. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
30. but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said.
31. "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
14. Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace.
15. When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up."
16. "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone."
17. So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock.
18. When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
19. Why should we perish before your eyes--we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate."
20. So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's,
21. and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other.
22. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
23. Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground.
24. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children."
25. "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh."
26. So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt--still in force today--that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.
27. Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.
28. Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.
29. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
30. but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." "I will do as you say," he said.
31. "Swear to me," he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Genesis 47:1-12
1. Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen."
2. He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3. Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were."
4. They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen."
5. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you,
6. and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock."
7. Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
8. Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?"
9. And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers."
10. Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11. So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.
12. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children.
2. He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh.
3. Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were."
4. They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen."
5. Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you,
6. and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock."
7. Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh,
8. Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?"
9. And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers."
10. Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
11. So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.
12. Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Genesis 46:1-34
1. So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied.
3. "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."
5. Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
6. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.
7. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters--all his offspring.
8. These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9. The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
10. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11. The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
13. The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.
14. The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15. These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16. The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel.
18. These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah--sixteen in all.
19. The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20. In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
21. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22. These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob--fourteen in all.
23. The son of Dan: Hushim.
24. The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25. These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel--seven in all.
26. All those who went to Egypt with Jacob--those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons.
27. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
28. Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen,
29. Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30. Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive."
31. Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.'
33. When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?'
34. you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."
2. And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob!" "Here I am," he replied.
3. "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.
4. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."
5. Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him.
6. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt.
7. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters--all his offspring.
8. These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.
9. The sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
10. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
11. The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
12. The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
13. The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.
14. The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
15. These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
16. The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
17. The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel.
18. These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah--sixteen in all.
19. The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20. In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
21. The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
22. These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob--fourteen in all.
23. The son of Dan: Hushim.
24. The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
25. These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel--seven in all.
26. All those who went to Egypt with Jacob--those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons.
27. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
28. Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen,
29. Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
30. Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive."
31. Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me.
32. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.'
33. When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?'
34. you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."
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